I hope you have all had a wonderful summer with time for fun, relaxation, holidays, restoration, spontaneity, delicious summer fruits, garden veggies and of course the summer treats that always come into play.
For me summer is always a great time to restore. Our summer highlight is spending 2 weeks at Winnipeg Beach living lake life. AAAAHHHHHH! I have learned over the years that bodies of water release negative ions into the air. The city is full of positive/electric charge with noise, lights, traffic and electromagnetic fields. When you come to the water (the same is true for the mountains and forests), a wave of different energy takes over. It feels calm, silent, serene, slow and gentle. The high vibration of the city eventually washes away and the slow pace of the lake settles in.
I have always had an affinity for spending time in nature. This year in particular I feel so drawn to trees, the mountains, forest bathing and time by water. Life moves so fast with pressures, stress, deadlines and just the overall intensity of the city that I think it is essential that we seek more time in nature. In fact I would say that time in nature is one of the key ingredients to wellness and prevention of disease.
Optimum nutrition, low inflammation, strong immunity, low stress, deep restorative sleep, therapeutic grade essential oils, seeing the balance and hidden order/perfection in every situation, doing what you love every day, living with gratitude and spending time in nature would be my top 10 ingredients for a healthy lifestyle.
As summer break ends, kids head back to school and the intensity of life picks up again, structure, routine and rhythm are needed because they help to give us balance. Wellness does not come without balance. One of the most important areas we can bring balance into our nutritional lifestyle is eating regularly and rhythmically. Just by finding rhythm with our meals (eating at the same time every day, not skipping meals, eating your largest meal at mid-day, not eating 3 hours before bed) keeps your blood sugars, endocrine and digestive system, and metabolic power functioning optimally. Rhythmic eating also keeps inflammation at bay, prevents overeating, binge eating and cravings. It keeps are moods more balanced and enhances our ability to handle stress.
Summer is more spontaneous but Fall asks us to come back home to our kitchen, to meal preparation and planning. We need to cook more, make soups, batch cook, experiment with new recipes and bring the love back into the kitchen. Over the next month as September settles in, I hope you find your structure, rhythm and routine to feel the balance in your life.
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